Dry eye is an all too common affliction that affects millions of people all over the world. Left unchecked, a simple case of dry eye can become worse.
It can even eventually affect your eyesight. Here’s how you can tell if your dry eye has gotten worse.
1. Your Eyes are Extremely Watery
As backward as it sounds, dry eye can actually make your eyes water excessively. With dry eye, your eyes detect that you are not producing enough tears.
Your tears may also not stay in your eyes for long enough. As a result, they start to overcompensate, which for some can mean more watery eyes.
2. You Are Sensitive to Light
As your eyes become more irritated, they will become more sensitive. You may find walking outside during the day is painful, as you become more sensitive to the glare of the sun.
3. Your Eyes Feel Gritty
Dry eye can make you feel like you need to blink all the time. More specifically, you may get a foreign object sensation, like there’s a grain of sand in your eye that you can’t get out.
Even if your eyes feel gritty, don’t rub them, as this will only irritate them more.
4. You Find Mucus Around Your Eyes
Dry eye may cause discharges of stringy mucus around your eyes. This can dry out and further irritate your eyelids.
5. Putting Contacts in Becomes More Difficult
Contacts can irritate your eyes, especially while you are still getting used to them. If you already have dry eye, it can make applying contacts downright painful. If you find that wearing contacts becomes too difficult, you may want to only wear glasses until your dry eye is under control.
6. Your Vision is Blurry
Dry eye can directly affect your eyesight by making it difficult to see. Your vision may be blurrier than normal since your eyes aren’t producing the right amount of tears.
Stages of Dry Eye
Left untreated, dry eye will worsen over time. The kinds and severity of symptoms that you are experiencing will determine what stage you are in.
In the first stage, mild dry eye, you will experience some blurry vision, light itching, and mild burning. In the second stage, moderate dry eye, you will begin to feel the grittiness and visible redness of the eyes will become more evident.
During the third stage, severe dry eye, inflammation will cause a feedback loop. As the eye becomes more irritated, fewer tears will be produced.
In the final stage, extreme dry eye, you will be experiencing
the worst symptoms of dry eye and permanent damage to your vision can occur.
Treating Dry Eye
Though dry eye syndrome is prevalent, it can be taken care of. It is important to treat it before it gets out of hand and to form prevention habits.
If you are experiencing dry eye symptoms constantly, schedule a visit at Colorado Eye Consultants in Littleton. With our help, you will be able to make a plan and receive treatment based on the determined causes of your dry eye.
You will also learn the most effective ways to change your home and change your lifestyle to promote healthy vision.
Tired of living with dry eye and ready to treat your symptoms once and for all? Schedule an appointment at Colorado Eye Consultants in Littleton, CO now! Why wait any longer?
